Pay Attention To Condition Of Stored Corn

Aug 11, 2015

By Charles Hurburgh

Quality of stored grain must be maintained through the entire summer period, until stocks can be rotated in the fall. Summer storage is challenging because warm temperatures and high relative humidities put even dry grain at risk for mold and insect activity. Relative humidities in the last two weeks have been very high.

The chart below explains why summer aeration can create either continued mold growth or excessive moisture shrink (below 14% moisture corn; 12% moisture soybeans). The horizontal lines are the market standard moistures for corn and soybeans (15% and 13% respectively).

Aeration in the fall is not likely to create overdry grain. Market moisture grain is not likely to spoil if steady fall conditions are maintained. However, in summer, even dry grain can spoil. Aeration in summer creates further drying and moisture shrink, and if the humidity is high, spoilage will continue.

Wet grain in storage now has probably used up its shelf life. It should be marketed quickly. Elevators and processors report that average condition of inbound corn is declining; there are still almost two warm weather months remaining to reach the 2015 crop.

Source: iastate.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.